The Big Four accountancy firms will this week disclose for the first time how many tax avoidance schemes they have devised.

But in the aftermath of criticism of firms such as Amazon and Google and following David Cameron’s call for companies to pay their fair share of tax, they are expected to infuriate MPs on the Public Accounts Committee by refusing to identify which organisations they have advised.

Tax experts at KPMG, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young are set to be questioned by MPs on the committee, chaired by Labour’s Margaret Hodge, on how many tax avoidance schemes they have notified to the Revenue under the rules of the disclosure scheme, introduced in 2005. It is expected to be a fiery encounter.

Tax avoidance schemes: KPMG, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young are set to be questioned by MPs

In the past, the Revenue has said how many schemes were put together by
the Big Four as a whole, but it has never split the issue firm by firm.
MPs are also expected to demand to know which of the Big Four advised
multinationals such as Starbucks, Amazon and Google to help them
construct their tax arrangements.

The three companies have faced a
storm of criticism, including public demonstrations, for setting up
complex international structures that limit their exposure to UK
corporation tax.

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A source said the accountancy giants may refuse to answer questions on who they have advised, citing client confidentiality.

Back-pedalling: Sir Bradley Wiggins

Discussions have taken place between
the tax advisers and their clients as to whether the confidentiality
arrangements could be waived. MPs have also asked the firms to state in advance of the hearing how much money they make from public sector contracts.

Hodge has suggested that companies involved in tax avoidance should be prevented from winning public sector contracts.

The committee has taken evidence from
multinationals, Revenue officials and tax scheme promoters, in
sometimes testy encounters, in a long-running investigation into tax
avoidance.

The Big Four firms made almost £2billion in 2011 from tax advice, according to figures from Accountancy Age.

Meanwhile, the Revenue is looking to tighten up the tax-avoidance disclosure rules to prevent the most aggressive schemes.

Some promoters are understood to
market their plans over 48 hours in an online read-only format. That
allows them to get wealthy individuals into the scheme quickly, before
having to disclose anything to the taxman.

The Revenue’s anti-avoidance group is
looking to find a way to shorten the period before disclosure for some
tax scheme promoters, so that it can close loopholes before they have
been used.

Boutique tax firms such as NT Advisors – associated with a scheme
entered into and subsequently dropped by cycling star Sir Bradley
Wiggins – are thought to push customers through online arrangements to
ensure they get as many as possible to sign up in a short period.

The taxman is under pressure to clamp
down on income tax schemes for high earners after the National Audit
Office said little progress was being made in dealing with them. Revenue
& Customs declined to comment.